Prescription privacy: DEA VS. ACLU.

• Author: Mangu-Ward, Katherine
• Position: Citings - United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the American Civil Liberties Union - Brief article

YOU HAVE "no constitutionally protected privacy interest" in your prescription records, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In an August brief before an Oregon U.S. District Court, the federal agency defended its practice of obtaining personal medical information without a warrant.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is representing four patients and a doctor who object to the DEA's acquisition of their records via Oregon's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a public health database aimed at helping doctors detect and avoid drug abuse and overdoses. The plaintiffs argue that the DEA should not be allowed unfettered access to confidential medical...